Terkel’s radio program celebrated the poetry of urban life and was also unblinking in examining the social ills of great cities. Whether exploring his hometown Chicago through the writings of Nelson Algren, Gwendolyn Brooks or Stuart Dybek, or trekking around the city’s numerous neighborhoods with a portable tape recorder, Terkel feasted on the sounds of the metropolis. The archive also contains programs recorded in other world cities including: Paris, London, New York, Rome, Hamburg, Johannesburg, Shanghai and Kiev as well as conversations with visitors from dozens of other cities.

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Urban Life

Introduction

Terkel’s radio program celebrated the poetry of urban life and was also unblinking in examining the social ills of great cities.